Italian Cypress Cat Rescue

[mikewhite85]

An unfortunate cat has been stuck in a cypress for 4 days about 45 mins away from me. The owner has called the fire department, several tree services, and then me today. She said no one was willing to help.

I haven't yet seen the job but the lady says the cat is 40-50 ft up in the tree and it's in a backyard with no bucket access.

The thing is, I have never tried to climb an Italian Cypress aside from removing them and am wondering how I can do it without damaging the tree.

I was thinking about climbing a 20' ladder and then using the alternating lanyard technique to make my way up (and descending on a rope). However, I don't know if it is possible to do this without messing up the tree. Moreover, there is also so much junk and tangled branches within the tree that I don't know if it's possible. To make matters worse, the tree doesn't belong to the cat owner. It's on a neighbor's property.

The only other way I can think of off hand is riding a crane with a boom long enough to get in the backyard (not sure how long of a distance). Also not sure if the lady believes her cat's life is worth the cost of a crane.

How much does one even charge for a cat rescue? This will be my first. I have had several calls in the past but none of them materialized.

Moreover, once you get to the cat, how do you get it down?? Could I put it in a basket and lower it in a rope?

Thanks for the help!

 

[derwoodii]

Good luck gettin that kitty cat. Often they come down when hunger etc forces but you may need to go and help. Its going to be a trick to get up and bag that cat without it all going wrong fast. Heres a thread I robbed from an other OZ climber tackling a very similar rescue. He got lucky the cat saved itself, baggin unhappy claws and teeth never any fun.

Others not cat luvin types may say a .22 scoped may be easier for all.

http://www.arboristsite.com/showpost.php?p=1928919&postcount=1

 

[bass_on_tap]

The old rule was, it will come down when it's ready/hungry. Is it worth the expense, time, tree damage and risk for a cat that's up a tree? Consider why the fire company and other tree companys balk at this task. I feel for the woman and the cat but weigh it out.

 

[The Count]

take a helium baloon, a long thread and a few fire crackers and make sure when the baloon is above the cat, the firecrackers pop and scare the cat down.

 

[mikewhite85]

Thanks for the help guys.

I went ahead and rescued the cat tonight. Because he was in a row of cypresses, I was able to climb between two of them (where there was little green) with minimal damage to the trees. I ended up just using the alternating lanyard technique and later descended on a rope. The cat was afraid of me and just climbed higher as I got closer. We finally got about 6 feet from the top and I was able to grab "Taco" and lower him down in a duffel bag. He put up a bit of a struggle, particularly for a cat who had not eaten or drank for 5 days, but did not even try to bite or scratch me.

The whole neighborhood came out and watched. I have never been called a "hero" so many times in my life! It was awesome to see the joy on the owner's face when she got her cat back. She even brought out champagne and we all toasted! It was hilarious!

She ended up giving me 200 bucks and one of the neighbors was also so impressed that she gave me 100 as well! Really I think any mediocre climber could have done it though. It wasn't too difficult. It just took a lot of time to get up the tree without breaking all the small branches. I am glad I got the opportunity!

All in a days work for a tree guy. Hope I get more cat calls!

 

[tree md]

Good for you!

Dude, you can't buy press like that. You did nothing but make your name golden around there.. In Hollywood no less! Good on you for going the extra mile when no one else would. That is what the "service" is all about bro.

Rep to you!

 

[Bermie]

Hey nice one!
I like cats, so you get a thumbs up from me!!
$300 felt good too I bet. A guy at TH uses a pillowcase to secure the cat...thinking the duffle bag night be easier??

 

[mikewhite85]

Thanks for the rep!

The duffel bag was way easy, though I imagine it would have been hard to stuff the cat in there if he had put up more of a fight. It also made it easy to lower down- just clipped a biner to the straps and lowered it with a tag line.

Thinking about asking the fire department for referrals... I think I enjoy saving cats more than tree work!

 

[ForTheArborist]

Do you know there are sky high rental ladders around?

Nice work.